Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally directed to carriers bonded to and removed from thinner substrates to allow processing of the thinner substrates. More particularly, the present invention is directed to methods and apparatuses for bonding wafers to carriers for semiconductor and/or interposer processing, and then debonding the wafers from the carriers after such processing.
Technical Background
Semiconductor devices are fabricated by forming active devices on or within a semiconductor wafer. The semiconductor wafer may comprise, for example, glass, silicon, polysilicon, single crystal silicon, silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, combinations of these, and/or the like. Hundreds or thousands of integrated circuits (ICs) or dies are typically manufactured on a single wafer. Typically, a plurality of insulating, conductive, and semiconductive material layers are sequentially deposited and patterned over the wafer to form the ICs. One of the uppermost-formed material layers typically comprises a layer for bond pads which make electrical connection to the underlying active areas and components within the wafer.
After the ICs are formed, the wafer may be subjected to backside processing. The backside processing may include thinning the wafer to prepare the wafer for packaging. For example, in some technologies, backside processing may include forming electrical connections to through-substrate vias formed through the wafer for providing backside contacts. In this example, the backside of the wafer is thinned through a process such as grinding in order to expose the conductive vias on the backside of the wafer. This process of thinning the wafer can damage the edges of the wafer and can make the wafer even more fragile and susceptible to damage during subsequent transportation and processing of the wafer.
To help alleviate these types of damage, a carrier is normally attached to the wafer. This carrier is attached using an adhesive, and is intended to allow handling of the wafer by handling the carrier. Additionally, the added strength of the carrier supports the wafer so that stresses caused by transportation and/or processing will not damage the wafer.